AUL asks "How Many Women Must Die before Abortion Clinics Are Subjected to Appropriate Regulation and Inspection?"

WASHINGTON, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the criminal case against notorious Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell heads toward closing arguments next week, the case for comprehensive and medically appropriate abortion clinic regulations has been made, noted Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest. "How many women, girls and infants must die before abortion clinics are appropriately regulated and inspected?"

"Today in America, veterinary clinics are better regulated than many of the nation's abortion clinics, " noted Dr. Yoest. "Sadly, Kermit Gosnell is not an aberration. In the last three years, at least 15 stateshave launched investigations into abortion clinics and individual abortion providers for substandard care – care that in some cases has resulted in women's deaths."

She continued: "For more than a decade, Americans United for Life has led the nationwide effort to combat the reality of legalized 'back-alley' abortions, advocating for meaningful and comprehensive regulation and oversight of abortion clinics. And legislators across the country are responding to AUL's call to protect women from substandard abortion clinics and providers. Over just the last three years, eight states have enacted new comprehensive abortion clinic regulations or made significant improvements to existing regulations.

"Commonsense regulations must be a national priority.Enacting medically appropriate and comprehensive abortion clinic regulations is a critical and sensible solution to the on-going problem of unsafe, legal 'back-alley' abortions, which is now better understood as a result of the horrific revelations in the Gosnell trial. These regulations are designed to safeguard against unsanitary conditions, inferior equipment, and the employment of unsuitable and untrained personnel. They are also intended to put an end to substandard medical practices that injure and kill untold numbers of women each year."

AUL has developed a unique expertise in the area of abortion clinic regulations. Drawing on our successful defense of Arizona's 1999 abortion clinic regulation law, AUL has developed two pieces of model legislation requiring regular inspections of abortion clinics and strict adherence to medically appropriate standards of patient care:

The "Women's Health Protection Act", which mandates that abortion clinics meet minimum health and safety standards in a variety of areas including recordkeeping, staffing, sanitation, patient intake and testing, the abortion procedure itself, and post-operative care.

Following the testimony of a Florida Planned Parenthood lobbyist who recently appeared to support denying medical care to an infant who is born alive following an attempted abortion, AUL Action also launched the "Let Them Live" campaign, challenging Planned Parenthood to do more than disavow this shocking testimony. For more on AUL Action's "Let Them Live" campaign, click here.

Americans United for Life (AUL) is a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization whose vision is a nation in which everyone is welcomed in life and protected in law. The first national pro-life organization in America, AUL has been committed to defending human life through vigorous judicial, legislative, and educational efforts at both the federal and state levels since 1971.